United Arab Emirates to introduce patrolling 'robocops' in two years

Dubai is introducing new robocop-like android police that will patrol the streets and interact with people.

Street police in the United Arab Emirates are about to get replaced with "robocops."

Dubai is introducing a new fleet of intelligent police androids that will be patrolling streets, malls and other crowded public spaces. The robots will be introduced in 2017 and will potentially become part of the police force by the end of the decade.

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"We are aiming to provide these kinds of services as the population is expanding. This way we can provide better services without hiring more people," said Colonel Khalid Nasser Alrazooqui, head of Dubai's smart unit, in a keynote speech according to RT.

Unlike the fictional, crime-fighting Robocop, these androids will actually act like guards and public information terminals.

"The robots will interact directly with people and tourists. They will include an interactive screen and microphone connected to the Dubai Police call centers. People will be able to ask questions and make complaints, but they will also have fun interacting with the robots," Alrazooqui said.

Alrazooqui said that Dubai is planning on upgrading the robots in two to four years so they can interact with civilians without any human intervention. Dubai also looks forward to creating the most advance police force in the world with the AI-equipped robots being part of it.

Dubai’s patrolling bots are similar to the K5 androids that are currently being trialed by Knightscope in its San Francisco Bay Area HQ. (knightscope.com)

Dubai is not the first to introduce patrolling bots. A handful of the K5 androids are currently being trialed by California creator Knightscope in its San Francisco Bay Area HQ of Mountain View.

The robots look like a buffed R2-D2 or like the "Doctor Who" Dalek robot. They stand at 5 feet tall and weigh 300 pounds, but they are not armed. They have microphones, heat detectors, speakers, laser scanners, GPS, odor detectors and air pollution monitors - and can read up to 300 car number plates per minute.